Friday, July 01, 2016

Canada Day

We're going to have a pretty quiet Canada Day here, I think. Maybe we'll get trackside, maybe we won't...

Getting a little personal, and nothing about trains - skip to the bottom if you want to see train-related Canada Day posts

Canada Day has been pretty bittersweet for me the past number of years. I would often spend at least part of Canada Day with my immediate family and/or parents to watch the parade in Fredericton or Oromocto, New Brunswick. I have a lot of good memories, and one of my favourite photos of my dad is this one with my oldest son Nick from Canada Day in front of the Fredericton city hall, back in 2000, I think.

The last Canada Day I spent with my dad was in 2006. We sat on my parents' front lawn, watching the parade roll by. My youngest son was a baby then and slept through the whole thing, even the loud fire trucks. I remember at one point my dad wanted to take a dangling branch off one of his trees. That was one of his quirks - when he decided to do something, it had to be done right now! I try to resist that urge when I get it but my wife always says, "OK, George," to me when I succumb.

My dad had a stroke later in July 2006 and died near the end of the month. It'll be 10 years this month and he's on my mind more than usual. There's some info on him here.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your Canada Day if you celebrate it. Spend it with your loved ones and always take the time to show them how much you care.

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About Me

I am a train geek and a photographer. But more importantly I'm a father and husband.

At times in my life I have been a computer geek, a gamer geek, a ship geek, a plane geek, a medievalist geek... and probably others. I am passionate about topics like these and I enjoy writing and talking about them.